Voters More Than 3 To 1 See Trump's Tariffs Hurting U.S. Economy In The Short-Term, But Less Bearish On Long-Term Impact, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; The Biggest Economic Worry Right Now? Voters Across The Board Say Higher Prices

In the wake of President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on dozens of countries, a vast majority of voters (72 percent) think the tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy in the short-term, while a smaller majority (53 percent) think the tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy in the long-term as well, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea- ack) University national poll of registered voters released today.

For the short-term, 72 percent of voters think the tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy, while 22 percent think the tariffs will help the U.S. economy.

Among political parties: 97 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents and 44 percent of Republicans think the tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy in the short-term. Forty-six percent of Republicans, 19 percent of independents and 2 percent of Democrats think the tariffs will help the U.S. economy in the short- term.

For the long-term, 53 percent of voters think the tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy, while 41 percent think the tariffs will help the U.S. economy.

Among political parties: 95 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of independents and 10 percent of Republicans think the tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy in the long-term. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans, 35 percent of independents and 3 percent of Democrats think the tariffs will help the U.S. economy in the long- term.

"A large majority of voters acknowledge the tariffs are delivering a bruising body blow to the economy in the near term. Will time reduce the pain? Some think it will, but a majority don't envision that happening," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

ECONOMIC WORRIES

Given a list of four economic issues and asked which one worries voters the most right now, 47 percent say the price of food and consumer goods, 20 percent say the cost of housing or rent, 17 percent say the stock market, and 6 percent say their job situation.

"In a rare moment of political unanimity, Democrats, Republicans and independents in equal numbers worry most about the prices of what they eat and what they buy," added Malloy.

Voters were asked about whether current economic conditions have caused them to change their purchasing choices. Roughly 3 in 10 voters (29 percent) say they have put off buying big items such as furniture or appliances, while 6 percent say they bought big items sooner than they otherwise would have, and 60 percent say current economic conditions have not changed their purchasing choices.

TRUMP, TRADE & THE ECONOMY

Forty-one percent of voters approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while 53 percent disapprove. This is essentially unchanged from Quinnipiac University's March 13 poll when 42 percent approved and 53 percent disapproved.

On Trump's handling of the economy, 40 percent approve, while 55 percent disapprove. In Quinnipiac University's March poll, 41 percent approved and 54 percent disapproved.

On Trump's handling of trade, 39 percent of voters approve, while 55 percent disapprove. This compares to Quinnipiac University's February 19 poll when 42 percent approved and 49 percent disapproved.

TRUMP'S HANDLING OF OTHER ISSUES

Voters were asked about Trump's handling of...

• immigration issues: 45 percent approve, while 50 percent disapprove;
• deportations: 42 percent approve, while 53 percent disapprove;
• the federal workforce: 41 percent approve, while 54 percent disapprove;
• foreign policy: 40 percent approve, while 54 percent disapprove.

DEMOCRATIC & REPUBLICAN PARTIES

Voters are split about which party they think cares more about the needs and problems of people like them, with 33 percent saying the Democratic Party, 33 percent saying the Republican Party, and 31 percent saying neither party.

Among independents, 46 percent say neither party, 27 percent say the Democratic Party, and 25 percent say the Republican Party.

SIGNAL

Voters were asked about the editor of The Atlantic magazine being accidentally added to a group text chat on the messaging service Signal that included President Trump's national security advisor, the defense secretary, and the vice president, where plans to launch air strikes against a rebel group in Yemen were discussed. Roughly three-quarters of voters (74 percent) think that the use of Signal to discuss these plans is either a very serious problem (58 percent) or a somewhat serious problem (16 percent), while 22 percent think it is either a not so serious problem (11 percent) or not a problem at all (11 percent).

Voters 61 - 31 percent think that someone in the Trump administration should lose their job over the Signal group chat incident. Democrats (90 - 5 percent) and independents (59 - 33 percent) think someone in the Trump administration should lose their job over the incident, while Republicans (57 - 32 percent) think someone in the Trump administration should not lose their job over it.

"Voters send a group message by nearly 2 to 1: the Signal incident was concerning enough that somebody has to take the fall," added Malloy.

JOB APPROVALS

Thirty-two percent of voters approve of the way Mike Waltz is handling his job as National Security Advisor, while 50 percent disapprove and 18 percent did not offer an opinion.

Thirty-six percent of voters approve of the way Pete Hegseth is handling his job as Secretary of Defense, while 48 percent disapprove and 17 percent did not offer an opinion.

ELON MUSK

Fifty-seven percent of voters think Elon Musk has too much power in making decisions affecting the United States, 33 percent think he has about the right amount of power, and 5 percent think he has too little power.

This compares to Quinnipiac University's February poll when 55 percent thought Musk had too much power, 36 percent thought he had about the right amount of power, and 3 percent thought he had too little power.

1,407 self-identified registered voters nationwide were surveyed from April 3rd - 7th with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on probability-based samples using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.

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